A former Jennings County High School wrestler who is now the head coach of the Jeffersonville High School team was presented with a national coaching award.

Danny Struck received the National Developmen-tal Coach of the Year during the USA Cadet/Junior National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota last week. USA Wrestling, the national governing body for the United States Olympic Committee, honors one coach for the work they do in developing athletes and programs for future Olympians.

Struck has been head wrestling coach for the Red Devils for the past nine years and has been the head of the Team Jeff Wrestling Club. During his tenure, Struck's teams have won 254 dual meets with 37 individual Hoosier Hills Conference champions, 48 semi-state qualifiers and nine state qualifiers.

"It was very nice to be recognized for my years of work," said Struck. "My goals are to make the Team Jeff Wrestling Club and Jeff High the best in Indiana, and to make Indiana the best club state in the nation, and to continue help making the United States the premiere wrestling country in the world."

To receive this award each of the five regions of the USA Wrestling selected their regional coach of the year. A panel selected the national coach of the year from those five recommendations.

"I have never tried to win an award, except for a state title," Struck continued. "That is our team goal. Our purpose is to make kids the best people they can possibly be. I appreciate someone noticing, it feels nice to know your peers know your working hard for them."

Struck was a 1995 graduate of Jennings County High School. He wrestled under Hall of Fame coach Howard Jones and was on three of his sectional championship teams and four of his HHC championship teams. From there Struck wrestled for Hall of Fame coach Terry Wetherald at the University of Indianapolis. Wetherald is considered the father of JCHS wrestling since he was the first coach at the school.

Struck also played football for JCHS. Struck's parents, Dan and Jane, still reside in North Vernon where his dad is in his 45th year of teaching at JCHS and his mom was a long-time teacher at St. Mary's Catholic School.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Danny: Congrats on winning this award as it is well deserved. Just the New Zealand via Australia trip should nominate you for sainthood. From what I've read and heard you and your staff have taken wrestling to a higher level wherever you land. Jon

Danny Struck is probably the best promoter of amateur wrestling in the region.

Whenever one of his wrestlers does something worthy of recognition, Struck works to ensure that people hear about it. Here at the News and Tribune, an e-mail or call from Struck means one of his kids has done Jeff proud.

But when Struck was recognized by USA Wrestling as the National Developmental Coach of the Year, we didn?t hear a peep from him, and when we contacted him about the award, he made one thing clear: It?s not about him.

?A lot of kids and parents have worked hard to make me somehow look good, and I appreciate that,? Struck said. ?I was never a very good wrestler myself, but I always believed I had something to offer the sport and the kids.?

Struck?s coronation as the Coach of the Year came at the Asics/Vaughn USA Cadet/Junior National Championships in Fargo, N.D. on Saturday, July 23. USA Wrestling is the national governing body for the United States Olympic Committee, and issues the award to just one coach per year for the work they do developing athletes and programs to feed the country?s Olympic wrestling program.

The Jeffersonville wrestling program has had Struck at the helm for nine years, and during that time, the program has churned out 37 individual conference champions, 109 regional qualifiers, 48 semistate qualifiers and nine state qualifiers. As a team, Jeff has won four sectional and two conference championships.

In addition to running Jeff?s high school team, Struck is the head coach of the Team Jeff wrestling club, which boasts more than 120 members, including numerous Jeff graduates. Team Jeff members have earned more than 80 state championships, more than 100 state medalists, eight All-Amercans, five Greco-Roman state runner-ups and the club has twice earned Club-of-the-Year honors.

During Struck?s 14 years of coaching, 19 of his wrestlers have gone on to wrestle on collegiate scholarships.

?It is always fun seeing kids achieve their dreams, dreams that I chase over and over through them, as every day that I see the success I feel that I have finally reached mine,? Struck said. ?I am surrounded now by good people that can help me give back to the kids.?

Struck, a history teacher at Jeffersonville, doesn?t just focus on making his wrestlers better competitors on the mat. Struck has led his teams on 10 different international trips, most recently a trip to Australia and New Zealand, where his kids spent time learning about the local culture and living with local New Zealanders. During last year?s trip to Mongolia, his wrestlers donated their gear to their hosts before returning stateside.

?Our purpose is to make kids the best people that they can possibly be,? Struck said.

The 2010-11 season was a banner year for Jeffersonville?s high school program. The team won its third consecutive sectional, placed three wrestlers at state and saw two wrestlers earn Folkstyle All-American honors. Additionally, Struck began the Kentucky-Indiana Battle of the Bridge, which Struck?s Southern Indiana team won.

?We did have a great year of work here in Jeffersonville and in the state of Indiana,? Struck said. ?My goals are to make the Team Jeff wrestling club and Jeff High the best in Indiana, and to make Indiana the best club state in the nation, and to continue to help make the United States the premier wrestling country in the world.?